Mayor Adams Appoints Marcella Tillett as Executive Director of Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City

October 21, 2022

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the appointment of Marcella J Tillett as the executive director of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization working with 50 city agencies and offices, 300 institutional funders, and 100 community-based partners. Tillett will lead the Mayor’s Fund and work with its partners to advance initiatives that improve the lives of New Yorkers from all walks of life and across all five boroughs.

“Marcella Tillett is a dedicated public servant and philanthropic powerhouse, and I’m so excited to tap her to helm the Mayor’s Fund,” said Mayor Adams. “Marcella has the heart, vision, and expertise to take this agency to the next level by facilitating public-private partnerships to create a stronger and more just New York City. I look forward to working with her to meet all our city’s needs that lie ahead.”

“Marcella Tillett brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role of executive director of the Mayor’s Fund,” said Deputy Mayor of Strategic Initiatives Sheena Wright. “I’m confident that under her dynamic leadership, the Mayor’s Fund will start a new chapter — evolving into a vibrant, innovative partner to achieve the administration’s bold vision and coordinating with our philanthropic and corporate partners across the city.”

“As the Mayor’s Fund approaches its third decade, it has established itself as a critical strategic partner, uniquely positioned to leverage the brilliance, innovation, and commitment of philanthropic partners, city agencies, community organizations, and other institutions towards creating a just and prosperous city for all New Yorkers,” said Marcella J Tillett, executive director, Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “I am incredibly proud to join the Mayor’s Fund during this time of great need and opportunity in our city’s history. My professional and personal work has been rooted in a commitment to intersectional racial equity and social justice, which I am excited to bring into this new role. As a Black woman, who has called Brooklyn home for 20 years, I look forward to leading change on a broad range of health, social, and economic issues facing New Yorkers in diverse communities across our great city.”

About Marcella J Tillett:

Marcella J Tillett, LMSW is an experienced and transformative nonprofit and philanthropic leader, who recently served as the vice president of programs and partnerships at Brooklyn Community Foundation (BCF), directing strategic grantmaking, partnerships, and community leadership programs. She was responsible for developing, refining, and routinizing how BCF operationalized its values of racial equity, racial justice, and community engagement, with a focus on shifting power to directly impacted communities.

Tillett serves on national and regional philanthropy panels and advisory committees, including CF Leads Fund for Shared Insight Advisory Committee, Nonprofit Finance Fund's Capital Advancing Racial Equity Fund Advisory Committee, and Philanthropy New York’s Racial Equity Working Group.  

Prior to joining BCF, Tillett provided senior leadership at Planned Parenthood of New York City. Tillett spent well over a decade actively engaged in community planning and engagement work related to HIV prevention and access to care, substance misuse harm reduction, and sexual and reproductive health and justice issues in New York City and nationally. She has always aimed to assert community voices and priorities into the development of policies, services, and funding plans.

Tillett earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University and a master's degree in Social Work from Columbia University, where she is an adjunct professor.

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